Meeting A Spirit Guide
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: After discovering the truth about her past, Dana starts to doubt and question herself. It's up to Sage to help guide her on the right path. Cowritten with Redbat132 and Steelcode and a belated Birthday story for Redbat132. :)


**Another collaboration between Redbat132, Steelcode, and myself. Here you go, Amigos! Enjoy! :) And Happy belated Birthday, Redbat132! :)**

 **Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. Sage belongs to Steelcode. Dana belongs to Redbat132. I only own Rachel.**

 **This story takes place after the third Ben 10/Ever After High Crossover story and before"Secrets Are Never Skin Deep" written by newbienovelistRD, which can be found on RD's page.**

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 **Meeting A Spirit Guide**

Sage stretched his arms above his head as he walked down the hallway with his backpack on his back. The wolf shifter had just come back from taking pictures for a family reunion.

"Okay. Just have to load these to the computer and edit red eyes. Then, post them to my site and then..." Sage said, when he noticed the ladder that goes to the attic. "Huh. Wonder if Aunt Rachel was planning on making space up there?"

Heading over to the ladder, Sage climbed up with his head popping up into the attic. The wolf shifter found Dana staring out the circle window to the yard.

"Dana?" He said as he climbed up into the attic fully.

"Huh?" The Ectonurite girl snapped out of her train of thought and turned to see who it was, "Oh! Hey, Sage! What are you doing here?" She asked with her best smile.

Sage looked at her questioningly. "Just got back from a shoot in town and noticed the ladder down when I was heading to my room. You okay? You looked like you were doing upset thinking when I came up."

"Well...I wouldn't say upset thinking," Dana explained, looking at the window again. "Just have a lot in my mind about the truth of who I am, that's all."

Sage sat down a large trunk, taking off his backpack. "Want to talk about it? I might be able to help." Sage asked, pulling out a couple of sodas from his pack.

Smiling lightly, Dana looked at the Shapeshifter before answering. "I guess it would be nice to tell someone. Promise you won't freak out?"

Sage smiled. "Promise. Soda?"

"Sure. Thanks," Dana grabbed the soda, before taking a deep breath. "Okay...As you kind of know, a lot of crazy stuff had happened involving your uncle, Ben. He wanted a break from the real world and end up somewhere that is beyond amazing," she started, smiling at that memory. "I, of course, tagged along to see it all! When we arrived, I saw so many incredible things and met even amazing new friends!"

Her smile soon faded, as she slowly looked down to see her tail. "Let's just say that, after a small hit on my head, I began to remember exactly who I was. And it was something that made my tentacles tighten inside."

Sage scooted closer and rested a hand on Dana's arm. "Dana, I'm here and I'm listening. No judgement, only up for helping."

The girl just nodded her head before continuing. "You know my ability to change from human to Ectonurite? It wasn't something I was born with. It was more of an accident that happened six years ago," she finally looked up to see his eyes, not sure how he'll take it. "I'm not really one person. I'm actually two people trapped in one body."

Sage nodded. "I see. Sounds like my ball park." Sage said, taking a swig from his soda can.

"You're not surprised?" Dana asked, kind of amazed that he didn't freak out or show any shocked emotion.

"No. See, I kind of have two people inside of me, too. My wolf and me. My wolf is like Jiminy Cricket. Gives me advice, tells me sometimes what to think. However, its only when I'm in need of it." The boy said calmly as he rested his arms on his knees, his soda can in his hands.

"Whoa...Were you...an experiment, too?" Dana gently asked.

Sage looked at her, concerned. "No, I was born like this. My kind has many names: Skinwalker, Shapeshifter, Wolfblood, Werewolf. We're as old as human kind." Sage replied, looking at Dana. "Dana...did someone force you...or hurt you?"

"No...well, not exactly," Dana answered, rubbing the back of her neck.

Sage smiled. "Dana, nothing you say is going to make me hate you. I might double take to understand for a minute, but nothing's going to change. I promise."

"W-Well...Okay," she reluctantly agreed. "Six years ago, I lived in a city that was deep within Undertown. A city where no humans or aliens dare to enter: New Phaetos. It was a place where only Ectonurites lived. I remember taking a small float around the cemetery, admiring all the doom and gloom. I didn't have any parents or family of any kind. As an orphan, I could do whatever I wanted. But I did feel lonely every now and then. Especially when the grown-ups said I was pretty batty for an Ectonurite," she explained while feeling one of her wings.

"They were wrong, Dana. Way I see it is, if we were all meant to be the same, then we would of all been made to look the same and given the name Bob." Sage said, giving a half smile.

Dana chuckled. "Thank you, Sage. That actually didn't faze me at all. Back then, like now, I embraced my battiness with pride!" She smiled for a bit, only to drop it again. "But that wasn't the problem. While exploring on that day, a tall alien with a big head approached me. It surprised me because most aliens and humans always scream and run away when I try to make friends with them. But this non-Ectonurite actually walked right up to me."

Sage looked at her worriedly. "Okay, that raises some red flags."

"Yeah, it did. He asked me if I was Silvania-my true Ectonurite name, in case you ask. I answered yes and then I asked whom he was. The tall alien said his name was Servantis and asked me to help him with a special project he was working on. One that will benefit the whole universe," Dana continued, almost regretting her mistake. "When he offered me to go with him to a place where I can have my own family and never feel lonely again, I just couldn't refuse. It was something I really wanted."

Sage lowered his eyes. "I know that feeling all too well."

Dana sighed, looking down again. "Servantis took me to the Null Void, an inter-dimensional place that's commonly used to imprison dangerous aliens and the perfect place for his base of operations. When he took me there, he began to explain something. Now, back then, I wasn't really paying attention, because the first thing I did was find my new family. I went through the first wall I saw and found a living room with other kids in it. There was a boy with black hair, a blue and black lizard girl, a boy with spikes on his face and had hair like a skunk's, a taller boy that looked like a smaller version of Four Arms, and a girl with purple eyes and long black hair. I thought this was my new family, so I smiled and introduced myself with open arms. Although they all looked at me confused, the only one who didn't and instantly became my friend was the black-haired girl. She said her name was Dana."

Sage placed a hand on her shoulder, doing a low growl in his human throat like a purr to comfort Dana as she continued.

"To say the least, I was so happy. These kids looked like lots of fun. And Dana was so nice and talented! Being able to dance like that!" A sad like smile came on her face on that faithful day. "I thought for sure that this was where I belonged. Then, Servantis came and scolded me for wandering off. I apologized and explained that I was just too excited to meet the rest of my new family. Although irritated, he told me to wait with the others while he made preparations before leaving. I asked about what Servantis meant and Kevin, the name of the black-haired boy, said that he has something special planned for my arrival. I thought it was like some kind of surprise party. Then Dana told me after the big surprise, she and I were gonna be closer than ever."

Sage swallowed, knowing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. His wolf was stiffened, its hackles raised as it waited for Dana to continue.

"My surprise was not what I had expected at all," the Ectonurite rubbed her arms anxiously as if she was cold. "Servantis had me strapped to a cold metal table and stuck a weird wire in my head. Kevin and Dana were there, too, strapped into tables next to me and wires on their heads. Although Dana assured that everything would be fine, there was something she was regretting. Before I could ask, Servantis already began pushing buttons and turning on some kind of machine. When that happened, the wire from my head buzzed and saw electricity flowing from my wire to Kevin and Dana's. It didn't hurt. It was actually a bit tickly. But then, that's when things start to go downhill...,"

Sage's face turned grave as he squeezed Dana's hand. "I'm right here," he said comfortingly.

Giving a small smile, she took another deep breath before moving on. "All of a sudden, something went wrong with the machine Servantis was operating with. Then, I started to scream in pain. Dana did, too. We screamed until there was a big explosion and then everything turned black. It stayed black. I felt weird. And not the good kind. For six years, when the machine exploded, I was in a coma and left somewhere in the Null Void. I finally woke up by someone shouting about hating aliens. That's kind of when I first met your uncle and became friends with him."

Sage eyes fell to the floor as his hand squeezed hers. "How can people, human or alien, be so cruel?" He growled as he moved away for a moment, his eyes and teeth shifting slight to a more canine-like appearance.

"Sage? Are you okay?" Dana asked with concern.

Sage shook for a moment before letting out a hefty sigh. "Yeah, just some old scars opening up a little," he replied as he tried to calm down, feeling the sharp points in his teeth begin to go down.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asked. "I'm really sorry if I made you feel this way."

He shook his head. "No, I'm good; it just never ceases to amaze me the cruel parts of this world," he said clearing his throat. "So, what, umm…what can I do to help? What, uh, are you struggling with?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure how you can help me. The struggles I'm dealing with are the two different parts of me," she answered, staring at her white clawed hands. "I'm glad that I got my memories back, but now I'm worried Dana's."

Sage sat down again this time straddling the trunk. "What's got you worried about Dana's memories?"

"That's just it! I don't have any of her memories!" Dana exclaimed. "Frankenstrike told me that it's because of my alien DNA. That since Ectonurites still contain their memory in the tiniest bit of DNA, my memory overrode Dana's…except for her love of dancing, I mean. I guess you can say that the real Dana and I share a brain, only I seem to be in permanent control." Sighing again, she lowered her head. "I don't know, I just find it unfair that the first friend that wanted to be close to me is now trapped."

Sage was quiet for a few minutes before finding an answer. "Well the way I see it is that Dana in some way, shape, or form halfway knew what was going to happen. She knew what she could be signing up for and was willing to take the risk. As for the memories it may just be that your or she is having a rather strong case of amnesia and with time and patience something might trigger something. However, I don't think you should dwell on not knowing her memories. In a way, Dana might be protecting you by not letting you see all her memories," he said, knowing what his own memories could do to a person.

He sighed after a moment. "Sometimes memories are more painful than you want to know."

"What do you mean by that?" Dana asked.

Sage sighed heavily, looking at the bracelets on his wrists. Grimacing for a minute, he unsnapped his leather cuff bracelets, then undid the leather collar from around his neck, finally removing his shirt to reveal whip, bite, and claw marks on his body his wrists showed heavy rope marks.

"Some memories are nothing but scars that open and close so much that you want to do nothing but keep it locked up so no one else has to deal with it," he said, rubbing his left wrist.

Dana gasped, staring at him thoughtfully. "I had no idea...I am so sorry, Sage," She placed a caring hand on him.

Sage smiled. "My mom died when I was five, but since I was four, I've been able to change forms. My dad, well, when mom passed, treated me like a dog. Used me in dog fights. Wouldn't feed me until I won five fights. I was trained with a harsh whip, wood, or whatever and it didn't matter if I was tired. He would punish me if I didn't perform well. I escaped him at the age of twelve. Found photography and got through school, made it into the college here then I found the Grant Mansion. Couple months ago, the monster came back, leaving the mark on my neck. Also, the reminder that I can't escape my past," he said sadly. "What I'm trying to say is that...maybe Dana is protecting you from her past."

"But why? Dana is such a talented and sweet girl. Why would she not want me to know more about her?" Dana asked, starting to grow sad. "Does she not think I'm a good enough friend? Is she mad at me for what happened to us?"

Sage shook his head. "No, I don't think it's like that. Dana, until I took off my bracelets, collar, and shirt, you would have thought I was normal nice guy, right?" He asked.

"Well, I would say unique nice wolf boy," she answered honestly.

Sage smiled. "Okay, unique nice wolf boy, but I looked normal. I seemed normal. Right?" He questioned.

"Somewhat," she shrugged.

"My point is, that Dana may have seemed happy and cheerful and she may have been, but sometimes a smile is easy to hide the pain you've had to deal with." Sage said calmly.

"You mean...she could have been faking about having fun? And being my friend?" Dana asked, her tentacles tightening up again.

Sage sighed. "It's a possibility. But she may have had no choice in the matter. However, don't let that stop you from thinking about the happiness she gave you before the incident. She gave you a small peace of her mind and you will always be grateful for that. Keep your cup half full. Bottom line though, if Dana is still inside you, she may be trying to protect you from her nightmares and past. Just like I try to do with wearing my bracelets and collar," he replied, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe, in time, she'll tell you until then don't worry about it. When she's ready, she'll tell you."

"But what if she doesn't? What if others won't like me because of both our pasts?" Dana asked, nearly a small tear was showing.

Sage smiled. "Then it's their loss. Also, your past defines who you are only the actions you take here and now are what make the difference. As for Dana herself, it's up to her whether or not she opens up. All you can do is be there for her and do your best to keep moving forward," he said calmly.

Dana finally smiled. "Thanks, Sage. I'm glad to have a friend who has a lot in common with me to understand what I'm going through,"

"No problem. Always up for playing Spirit Guide." Sage said playfully. "Anything else I can help with?"

"Well, just one. Since I remember my real name, should I start having it again or keep the name of the one person who gave me a chance in friendship?" She asked.

Sage turned towards the window for a minute, thinking about what he would do. "Well, what about a third option?"

"Third option?"

"Why not take a name that means both? A name that opens to who you are now?" He said calmly.

"Like what?" Dana asked, tilting her head.

"Well, what about Harmonia? Its Latin for Harmony. The two being one." Sage suggested.

"That actually sounds beautiful," she said.

"I believe it will give you peace of mind, until Dana starts talking to you. Think of it as a new chapter to your story." Sage replied, smiling.

"Maybe," the Ectonurite girl smiled. "I'll keep that name in mind. But, if it's okay with you, I prefer keeping both names. Like, when going human, I'll go as Dana, to remember the very first human that was nice to me. As Ectonurite, Silvania, to remember my origin and that I will always be true to my alien form plus personality. Harmonia can be my middle or last name, to remember it was the idea given by my best wolf friend. I just love all of them!"

Sage smiled. "It's your choice. Just like living this life is your choice," he said calmly as he picked up his backpack.

"And I hope that I make the right ones with the true friends of this mansion. Because that's the family I belong with," Dana said, giving Sage a hug. "Thank you,"

He smiled, hugging her back. "You're welcome. Would you like to look at my new photos?"

"I'd love to! And maybe later on, we can hang out and do something!" Dana exclaimed. "I always wanted to find more new and spooky stuff around the Grant Mansion! It's just so big!"

"Sure. How about I introduce you to some Anur Transyl food? I learned how to make Vladat Skrika," Sage replied.

"Oooh, I never had anything called Vladat Skrika before!" She chirped.

"Well, come on! Let's grab some then I'll show you my new pics," he said smiling.

Happily, the two teens left the attic to have some fun. Although Dana's future is untold, she was glad to have a Spirit Guide like Sage around to keep her on the right path. Even though her backstory was somewhat uncovered, who knows what other mysteries and secrets are waiting to be discovered?

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 **Please leave Redbat132, Steelcode, and myself a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


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